Things to do When social security card Gets stolen

Identity theft is a real and growing problem in the United States of America and most of the first-world countries. The objective of identity thieves is either to clean out the victims’ savings, rack up huge amounts of purchases via the victims’ credit card accounts, or even to apply for new credit lines using the victims’ details, primarily their SSN. So when your SS card gets stolen, or even merely lost, always assume that you are about to become an ID theft victim. Learn more about this at stolen social security card.

Here are the things you must do, in the event of getting your social security card stolen:

-File a police report. If you were a victim of pick-pocketing a mugging, or even a burglary, all the more that you should file a police report first. When you file a police report, the police can monitor whether the thief has used your checks, credit cards, as well as your SS Card and Number, and these can help them trace the whereabouts of the criminal.

-Contact the Social Security Administration to report your lost or stolen SS Card. The SSA will assign you a new card as soon as you complete the ID verification documents, as well as fill up a new Form SS-5 and submit these, either via mail or in person at the SSA office near you. You will not be assigned a new SSN in most cases especially if the thief persists in using your SS Card and your SSN. There are risks associated with getting a new SSN, such as your credit history being totally erased and then starting anew, as well as possible issues with your IRS records. However, if your SSN is being used on an ongoing basis anyway, changing your SSN is the best thing to do.

-Contact government resource for ID theft victims. Reading through this website will show you the logical steps on how to combat what just happened to you. There is also a section on how to report your situation to the FTC. It is found under the section “Report Identity Theft.” Downloadable forms are available on the FTC website.

File a fraud report with Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union.These agencies will put a fraud alert on your credit report and be able to record all fraudulent activity thereafter. This way, you will be able to dispute the fraudulent activity filed with your stolen SSN as well as your credit cards and other financial information.

-Getting your social security card lost or stolen is not the end of the world. Rather than feel helpless at the hands of an ID thief, all you need to do is to arm yourself with information on how to deal with this situation, follow the steps on how to report your loss and your predicament to the authorities, and damage-control as much as you can. Don’t let ID thieves have a field day with your data.